The Bet
by ichihoe
Summary: Riruka only wants a peaceful life, forgetting about her past and the battle between the Shinigami and Fullbringers. Just as she thinks she can have some peace, Tsukishima shows up one day sitting on her porch. As the two argue argue in Mister Donut- the argument leads to one thing; a bet. Can Tsukishima prove to her in just 6 months that they were once lovers?
1. Chapter 1

****Hello! This is my first fan fiction up on , so bear with me ^^ I realized that there isn't a fan fiction for the pairing Riruka and Shukuro, so I decided to write it! I can't guarantee updates will be fast, but I'll try to update as much as I can! I am also going to post my Ulquihime fanfic on here since it's already typed up on Deviant Art and what not! Enjoy!****

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Chapter One

- Let the Games Begin -

It was because of the fact that normally no one visited her house during normal circumstances did she keep her guard down, and also not expect anyone by her porch—did she jump and scream as loud she did upon seeing the man perched on her porch reading.

He was reading in such a peaceful manner, flipping the delicate pages with his slender digits as a strand of hair fell down to his face. He was behaving as if this were an everyday routine, completely normal for the both of them.

By now the female figured this was his favorite method of appearing—making a sly, casual entrance while reading his book.

She noticed how it was still the same title, that one tiny book that was able to be tucked away into his breast pocket, or his pants pockets.

There was a strong urge to go and kick the other off, demanding to know what in the world he had wanted from her. But the shock that had settled inside of her was too great to think past the _how_.

"You-!" She choked out, eyes widened in fear and her mouth ajar.

At first he didn't move, aside from the small movements of his fingers to turn the page.

Then suddenly his head perked up, his delayed reaction forming. He looked to the wrong side at first, and then turned to meet her eyes.

She didn't fail to see the usual mysterious, yet cynical look in his brown gaze. His eyes looked empty and emotionless. Cold.

"Riruka-chan." His soft, melody-like voice spoke, the corners of his lips curling up in the slightest. As usual, the smile did not reach his eyes.

She didn't reply right away. Or rather, she couldn't. It was already too much to see the male on _her_ porch, but to see he was _alive_ after having witnessed his death was too much information to take in.

"How did you—" Was all she could manage. She decided it'd suffice for the time being. She knew that if she were to complete the sentence, either way there was a chance she wouldn't get her answer.

And deep inside, she knew the question wasn't necessary, just as much as the answer. _How are you alive? How did you get here?_ Those were all irrelevant. What mattered was that he was somehow alive, and _here. _She just wasn't sure how to act. She wasn't sure if she was happy that he was back—or mad that someone who had caused her a lot of trouble had returned. No one deserved to die, and so she was happy for him in that sense. But even so, why did he appear here of all places?

The grim look she had once used to greet him with returned as her brows creased. "Tsukishima."

With ease, the tall male was off the porch fence with a small landing of his feet touching the ground softly, his book closing with a light thud. "I am pleased to hear that I was no forgotten."

Her eyes narrowed at him as she slowly closed the door behind her, not daring to look away. "Sadly, no." She replied bitterly.

A small chuckle emitted from his lips as he began to walk closer to the shorter individual. "Cruel as usual, Riruka-chan. What have I done to you?"

"That's _my_ line." She gritted through her teeth.

He stopped in a spot correspondent to her, his eyebrows raising in question. "Oh? Have I done something to have caused your hatred?" He tucked his book into his breast pocket.

She couldn't believe what he was saying. After all he'd done, he was asking _what._

Growing annoyed, the female zipped around and headed out to the streets to walk out of her neighborhood and into the city.

Her plan had been to get rid of the male as she walked, but it didn't go as planned when he kept following.

She ignored the sound of his footsteps as she stomped forward with her fists clenched. Her original schedule for the day had consisted of waking up and going to Mister Donut for breakfast, but it appeared as if things were a bit changed.

She stopped walking, and frowned. Why should _he_ ruin her plans? He couldn't just march in like that and ruin her day! She just wouldn't have it.

Picking up her pace she stormed through the crowded city to the one store she visited as often as her bathroom—Mister Donut.

To her dismay, the male had managed to follow along—while reading his book nonetheless—and had the audacity to _cut_ her in line.

A frustrated scream left her lips as she stomped once onto the ground hard with her boots. She crossed her arms across her chest and felt her face grow hot with her anger.

He chuckled; highly entertained by the reactions he was receiving due to his own actions. Although the male never struck Riruka as a man to enjoy sweets, he seemed to have no intentions of stepping out of the line and giving the spot in line that was supposed to belong to her.

Riruka did not speak a word, silently shooting daggers at him with her eyes as she chewed at the inside of her cheek. His back was turned to her, so unfortunately the male wasn't able to see her animosity.

The line moved on slow, but finally reached the male's turn. Surprisingly, the male turned around to face her. "Choose." He ordered.

She gave him a strange look, not understanding his sudden command. He had stolen her spot on line, and was asking _her_ to choose _his_ doughnuts?

"Choose your own." She snapped, irritated by his boldness. If there was one thing that ticked her off, it was when someone messed around with her doughnuts.

"But I am asking _you_ to choose." He replied, gesturing to the arrangement of pastries behind the counter. "I couldn't choose them myself. I find doughnuts rather trifling."

"Then move aside if you're not ordering." She said curtly, pushing him aside with her hand and moving up to the counter. When he didn't move in her desired amount, she bumped her hips with his and caused him to slightly stumble back.

To be accurate, he simply felt pushed into moving so he had moved back out of his own will. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he remained silent.

The shorter female proceeded to order a dozen doughnuts, quickly forgetting her anger and only focusing on her current happiness.

When the pastries were filled into the box, the worker told her the price and placed her box in a bag. But the female had already taken out the exact cash and was about to pay when suddenly her hand was pushed away.

The same hand that had pushed away hers took her bag of doughnuts, and paid the worker the money.

That hand belonged to Tsukishima.

"Oi!" She snapped, reaching her limit. "What do you think you're doing—"

Tsukishima grabbed her thin wrist and pulled her away from the counter without a word. Before the worker could shout out "You forgot the change" or something along those lines, he waved a free hand at them dismissively while saying, "Keep the change!" and pulling Riruka away.

Riruka tried to snatch her hand away but the effort was feeble. His large hand was wrapped securely around her wrist. "Let me go!" She barked, resorting in verbal complains until she decided to smack his arm.

He didn't reply, completely disregarding her words and smacks to his arm.

Finally when they reached an isolated area of the store, he forced her to sit in the empty booth.

"Ow!" She complained, glaring at him before she got up to leave.

He was quick to stop her, grabbing onto her wrist again. "Stay."

She gaped at him, then yanked her hand away, this time succeeding. "What makes you think I'll stay?" She demanded.

"If you leave, these doughnuts will go to a waste." He replied.

"Like I care! It was your money!" She pointed out, again trying to leave.

This time she was yanked down to sit, the male looking clearly unamused. "Stay." He repeated firmly, his empty eyes looking scarier than usual for a split second.

She began to sputter out a response, but gave up after trying to form the second word, huffing at the end and facing the window in defeat. "Hmph."

"Good." The male smiled, going into the bag and taking the box of doughnuts out. He opened the box and placed it in front of her. "Take. They are yours."

She merely glanced at them before looking away. "No." No matter how much she wanted them, she wouldn't. Only because he was the one who had bought them.

He stared at her, already seeing through her behavior. "Riruka-chan, stop being childish and take one. You know you're hungry."

And on cue, her stomach growled. Face heating up, she snatched a doughnut from the box without even looking to see which one. "Ittadakimasu." She grumbled under her breath before biting into it.

The male chuckled and watched her eat with his elbow propped on the table, holding his face. The female ate while strictly facing the window.

"What happened to your love for me, Riruka-chan?" He asked. "Were we not lovers?"

"Who knows? Maybe that was only your Fullbring messing with me." Riruka replied, uninterested with the conversation topic.

"And if it weren't?" he asked.

She stopped chewing, and faced him with a scowl. "It _was_, so don't ask such a thing." She said, strongly emphasizing the 'was'. "And it _is_."

As if the male hadn't heard a single word she had said, he reached over and stroke a thumb across her cheeks, brushing against the corner of her lips.

She flinched from the touch, and frowned.

He pulled his hand away and casually licked his thumb before explaining. "You had a piece of frosting on you."

Her eye twitched. "I could have done it myself."

"Oh? But I'd have preferred doing it myself…- Unless you'd have it that I did it with somewhere more pleasing for the both of us instead?"

She wasn't stupid. What his words implied were nothing innocent and short of mischief. The smirk on his lips didn't doubt his words either. With a squeak of embarrassment and dislike, she dropped her doughnut into the box and turned her entire body to face the window.

"But I would not do such, for I respect you. However, is it still hard to believe we were lovers?" He asked, trying to get her attention once more.

Truth be told, she wasn't too sure anymore. She was confused. She had originally thought that the both of them being lovers were a triggered memory by his Fullbring, but the way he acted around her countered it. Just what did he want from her?

"What will it take to prove it to you?" He asked.

Honestly, she didn't know. She knew she didn't exactly want him around. But at the same time, she did because even if she wouldn't admit it, she missed the old days of Xcution. He was the closest to the real home she could ask for.

"Just... Try to convince me somehow." She was speaking before she fully snapped out of her thoughts. "I'll give you six months. If you can't convince me by then, you have to leave me alone."

"How will I know whether or not I have convinced you?"

"I-if I fall in love with you, you win." She bit her lip.

From the corner of her eyes she saw his eyebrows arch high. "Interesting… But how will I know that?"

"Y-you won't!" She snapped facing him abruptly. "And i-it's not like I'll admit it t-to y-you either so you won't be aware!"

"…" He stared at her silently, scrutinizing her before a small smile took over his lips. "_Amusing._ Yes, let's do it."

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****Well, did you enjoy it? I really hope you did! It's my first time writing on here so hopefully you'll give me a chance ehe. But yes. Thanks for the read! Feel free to leave comments below on whether I should continue or not! Feedback always helps.****


	2. Chapter 2

****Right! I'm back. I'm sorry if I hadn't updated in the past few days. I already have everything till chapter 3 written, I just need to upload it onto here. And without wasting any more of your time, here's chapter 2.****

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Chapter Two

- The Danger That Comes From Being With You -

A few days passed after the bet with Tsukishima was made. The days weren't weren't peaceful at all, and consisted of the male following her around everywhere she went.

One would think he was trying to annoy the hell out of her instead of getting her to feel the opposite- and acknowledge that they were once lovers.

She began to regret making the bet, feeling a chill run down her back from the smile he had given her along with the answer.

Amusing, he had said. Now why hadn't she taken it back while she could? Oh how she regretted it so!Why didn't she realize all of this sooner?

"Riruka-chan."He cut into her thoughts. "You'll bump into a pole if you don't pay attention."

She stopped walking. snapping out of her thoughts and saving herself right before she bumped into the said pole. A squeak left her lips, hands going up to cup her nose as if she were checking if it was still there. If she didn't snap out of it in time, her nose would have been throbbing in pain.

Behind her, the male chuckled.

She zipped around and shot him a glare. "It's _not_ funny!" She snapped at him quickly zipping back around to stomp away.

Of course, she had forgotten about the pole and manged to bump into it this time.

The pain shot through her head and down her spine, feeling the vibrations of the metal pole reach her as a cry of pain escaped her lips, stumbling back into the male. "-tte!"

She was in too much pain to snap at the male for catching her. At this point, she was only glad that someone was there to prevent her from getting hurt any further. If she were to fall on her bottom after hurting her nose, the pain would have been too much to handle.

Her eyes stung with tears that threatened to fall, holding her nose and moaning in pain. She refused to let them fall, not wanting to be vulnerable in front of the man. "Ow, ow, ow!"

"Are you okay?" The male sounded genuinely concerned as he held both her shoulders and allowed her to rest heavily against him. "Are you bleeding? Let me see-" He tried to pry her hands away from her nose.

"No! Don't touch it!" She whined, looking up at him. "This is all your fault, Tsukishima!"

He sighed and turned her around, once again trying to see her nose. "It was you who decided to turn around even after knowing the pole was there."

"It's not my fault! I forgot!" She said angrily, however dropping her hand and allowing him to see her nose.

As he studied it, she too tried to look at it with her eyes crossing.

"It appears to be bruised." He pointed out, gently pressing an index finger onto her nose. For the split second it was there, it felt cold against her skin.

She yelped and smacked his hand away. "Don't touch it! It hurts!"

"Mm. But it isn't broken." He went on, acting as if he hadn't heard her. He tended to do that often, and it made her skin crawl in annoyance.

"Whatever! I want to go home!" This time she made sure to turn around carefully, then side step before walking forward- or attempting to.

As she turned on her heels, the sudden movement caused her head to spin and hurt. She had to grab onto his hand for support as she groaned in pain. He didn't seem to mind, in fact, squeezing her hand in his as it happened.

"Does your head hurt?" He asked.

She nodded carefully, even so, her head pulsating wildly in pain. "I must have.. hurt it when I bumped into the pole. And now, I'm dizzy..."

He didn't reply, pressing his lips into a thin line in thought. Then after a while, he let her hand go. She panicked, and tried to reach back out for the only sense of balance she had. He turned around, and exposed his back to her, raising a brow at her in question. "Get on my back?"

She gave him a look, retrieving her hand and placing it limp by her side. "No way am I getting on your back! Why should I do that?" Get on his back and humiliate herself? Would it also mean that she was losing the bet?

Well, getting on his back didn't mean she was losing. Rather, it meant she was winning because was only_ using_ him.

Without another protest, she carefully got onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He rose slowly, then began to walk.

She had to admit, it was definitely easier on her head for him to carry her. But it did the opposite to her heart hammered wildly, blushing as she hid her face.

She didn't know why she suddenly felt so shy and embarrassed. She was just using him, right?

"Riruka-chan, I'm taking us home because you're hurt, okay? So cancel your plans for the day and focus on getting better." Tsukishima said.

She simply nodded in response, not being able to muster up anything else she'd normally say. Suddenly, the only thing she could focus on was the smell of his shirt, the feeling of his hands on her legs, and the firmness of his back. It was getting ridiculous.

Her cheeks heated up and her heart continued to beat like a drum. She was afraid he might have felt it.

Luckily he didn't point it out even if he had taken notice. He remained silent as he took long, yet slow strides to get them home.

The female decided to kick him out the second he brought her home. The pole effecting her head caused her to think irrelevant things so at this rate she couldn't handle being alone with the male any longer.

Her thoughts began to wander. If she was thinking these thoughts now, was it possible that she was thinking them because of their previous relationship? Was she thinking too much into it? Was she thinking such things because the male kept doing strange actions that mislead her to weird thoughts?

"Ah, _mou_!" She groaned in frustration, arms unconsciously tightening around Tsukishima's neck.

If the tightening of her arms bothered him, he didn't exactly bother to show it. He made no noise to let her realize sooner, only stopping in place as he said softly, "Riruka-chan. Are you planning to choke the person who is trying to save you?"

She didn't loosen her arms right away, taking the time to imitate what he had just said before relaxing her arms.

He continued to walk, wordless the whole way there as she continued to fuss about her pounding heart in her head.

At last they reached her house, seeming as if the walk took an eternity. She didn't realize how far a few blocks could be under the pressure of having to stay calm with a man she took a strong disliking to.

She reached into her boots for her keys, leaning forward while still on his back and trying to open the door. Her turning of the key was limited due to the fact that if she were to lean in further- her chest would be pressing into his shoulder (which would lead to more unwanted thoughts, probably for the both of them. Though she doubt that for him, it was unwanted), or she'd fall off.

Getting the clue, the male took the keys from her and gave it an easy twist before opening the door. He plucked the keys out and placed it on the kitchen counter. But he didn't stop there. He went into her bedroom and set her down on her bed.

"Now get out." She dead panned.

He gave her look before disappearing into the living room. She really hoped he had left.

Her heart dropped when she saw him return, holding a small white box with a red cross on it. It was a first aid-kit, but that wasn't the first thing on her mind when she spotted him by the door, his slim, tall figure casting a shadow into her room. The shadow was longer than he was, its source of light coming from her living room. Her room itself wasn't too bright as well, and that added onto her list of dislikes.

"Where'd you get that?" She blurted out, somewhat ashamed for not knowing what was located in her own home.

He brought the box over t her and sat on her bed, opening it and taking out a few things. "It is your own first aid-kit and yet you do not even know of its existence?" He questioned.

She opened her mouth to make a witty comeback but she found herself with none. Her lips pressed into a thin line of disgust and her eyebrows furrowed.

He then took something out of his breast pocket, holding it in his palm. An egg. It was a mystery as to how she didn't even notice the noticeable bump in his pocket earlier. "Rub it against the bruised area. It will help a bit. In my opinion raw meat would have worked better, but I did not see any in the fridge, nor did I think you would want to press such a thing onto your flesh. After you are done rubbing I will apply some medicine so that it heals faster."

Reluctantly, the female did as told. She did not want the bruise to stay for long, ad even if she did not like listening to someone such as him, she had no other choice. She knew of no other person who could help her- without them having some suspicion or asking some kind of question she didn't want to answer. He applied the medicine and finished up, retrieving the egg to return it to the kitchen.

"How do you know how to take care of bruises so well?" She asked. Maybe allowing him to stay wasn't so bad of an idea. After all, he had just helped her out with her bruise. However, of course, he wasn't going to stay_ long_. Only until it grew incontinent.

"Why do you think that I am able to read in the streets with ease without bumping into every pole, tree, or wall?" He asked.

She blinked in confusion. What did that have to do with anything, and how was she supposed to know?

He sighed in disappointment as if she hadn't gotten a brilliant joke he had just made. He made it look like as if he knew she was not going to know the answer, thus asking it so that he could reply with something witty he had conjured up. The smug jerk. "I wouldn't be able to read while walking as I do now without any practice, Riruka-chan. I bumped into many things and have gotten many bruises from it."

"..." She stared at him in bewilderment. "Do not ever make a joke again, please. That was horrible." She said in monotone. She took it back. Just as she was about to reconsider him having to leave, he went and ruined it with a corny joke that was the least of humorous.

It was probably because the male wasn't one to make jokes did he bury his nose into books all the time. Or the other way around. Perhaps he did not know what humor was, because he's always lost in a fictional world or pages and letters. However, some would beg to differ since books meant knowledge and knowledge meant knowing what humor is.

"Was it not funny?" He asked with a minor tilt of his head. He placed his fingers under his chin as if he were thinking. Then his finger slipped between his lips, and his teeth softly bit down onto his pale flesh.

Without even realizing it, Riruka was mesmerized by his rather erotic activity, biting her own lips prior to licking it. "..." Her heart pounded, and she swallowed hard.

It wasn't too long before she caught herself in what she was doing. She quickly diverted her gaze, hoping he had not noticed. Oh, but he had.

A small smirk curled up the corners of his lips as his hand dropped onto his lap. He didn't vociferate his thoughts, but it was evident that he had seen it.

There were a few minutes of silence until he moved. The mattress groaned from the weight lifting off of it, and the floor creaked from being stepped on. At times like this, Riruka was glad that her house wasn't betraying her and being silent. The lack of their voices filling the silence of the room was already vexatious.

"Riruka-chan." He said softly.

She didn't dare look at him. It was obvious as to what he was going to say. She wasn't going to allow such humiliation be brought upon her. Especially because the two were alone, surrounded by her pink walls.

"Riruka-chan, if you don't look at me I'll-" He didn't finish, letting the threat air, and hang.

It was too bad she hadn't taken him seriously when he was kind enough to warn her. Maybe then she could have avoided the next situation she would be put in.

In a flash, the male was on her bed straddling her legs and pinning her hands above her head, her body flat against the bed. She let out a shrilled noise of surprise. "W-what do you think you are doing?" She demanded after regaining some of her composure.

His brown eyes were vacant, and nothing could be seen through those glossy hues. Not even the light of her room could be reflected from his optics, his eyes lacking the usual shine everyone else had. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, and it didn't help that he wasn't speaking.

She squirmed beneath him, trying to escape but the grip of his hands on her wrist were too strong. It also appeared as if he had no plans to get off of her any time soon.

She was filled with dread as she came to realize how big of an advantage he had over her currently. The urge to scream out for help was there, but who would help her? She was stuck here with no other choice.

"T-Tsukishima?" She asked in a tiny voice. "H-haha.. This isn't funny-ah, is that it? You were offended! That's what this is right?_ Mattaku_, baka. Fine it's funny so get off of me.. H-haha.._ Ne_?"

Whether her words were the trigger or not, Riruka did not know. But as the male leaned down closer to her face- what she did know was that he was probably going to kiss her.

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****Well, this chapter was written between at least a three month span, and I have to say that I'm not really excited to finish this as I used to be in the beginning. I also apologize if Riruka/Tsukishima appear to be slightly out of character. In order to get something going, I needed to twerk their personalities a bit. But it'd help a lot if you can review and tell me how it is so far. Then I can continue writing it happily.****


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